As they cheer votes favoring same-sex marriage in Maine,
Maryland, and Washington state – and the defeat of a constitutional
amendment in Minnesota – marriage equality activists aren't in total
agreement about how to proceed, but all appear to feel that plenty of work
remains.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce this month
whether it will take up the Proposition 8 case. After a federal appeals court
upheld a district court judge's ruling that California's same-sex marriage ban
is unconstitutional, opponents of marriage equality appealed to the high court.

The court is also to decide on which, if any, of several
lawsuits against the federal Defense of Marriage Act it will review. That law
prohibits federal recognition of same-sex unions.

"I think the next thing we have to wait for is to see
what the Supreme Court does with the Prop 8 case and the DOMA cases," said
Kate Kendell, executive director of the San Francisco-based National Center for
Lesbian Rights.

"My hope has always been they would simply refuse to
review the 9th Circuit ruling," which would allow that decision to stand,
"and couples could begin marrying in California right away," she
said. Kendell was referring to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A panel
of judges from that court allowed U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker's
pro-LGBT ruling in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case to stand.

Kendell also suggested marriage advocates need to be ready
for more fights in the Golden State, though.

"If [the justices] take the Prop 8 case, I do think we
need to wait to see what they do with it, but if for some reason they fix
themselves entirely on the wrong side of history and humanity" and uphold
the same-sex marriage ban, "I think we go back to the ballot, and I think
there's not another option," she said.

Advocates could be confident of victory, especially if they
employ the strategies of the four state campaigns that recently won on the
issue, Kendell said. She pointed to messaging that those campaigns used related
to helping people "unlearn" homophobia.

Kendell, who served on the executive committee for the
unsuccessful No on Prop 8 campaign in 2008, said she has "no idea"
who would lead another anti-Prop 8 campaign in California.

"I assume that we would pull in leadership both from
the community and people who know campaigns," and possibly grab staffers
from the recent successful efforts.

"We definitely have to make sure there is broad
community engagement," Kendell said. She said NCLR wouldn't be involved in
the formal structure of the campaign but would help to engage people at the
grassroots level "no mater where they live in the state."

Four years ago, the No on Prop 8 campaign was widely
criticized for not doing enough to include people from the Central Valley and
other areas, among other complaints.

Other advocates appeared to have more general views.

"We're going to take the extraordinary momentum we've
built and immediately turn it into a next wave of wins in 2013, including
wining more states and growing the majority for marriage that creates a climate
for a good ruling from the Supreme Court," said Evan Wolfson, president of
the national group Freedom to Marry.

Asked which state his group would make a move in first, he
said, "I don't want to get into that level of guessing because the fact is
we have several states in which we're going to be working. We're going to hope
to deliver more wins over the next several months."

Freedom to Marry provided money and staff to help the four
states win their campaigns, Wolfson said.

As for whether his organization would get involved with a
Prop 8 fight in California, Wolfson said, "There are too many 'ifs'
involved there." However, he added, "Freedom to Marry is absolutely
committed to winning nationwide as quickly as possible," and
"California is obviously an extremely important state" in moving the
rest of the country forward.

Marriage Equality U.S.A. Executive Director Brian Silva also
talked about focusing on winning marriage equality at the federal level and the
possibility of the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA.

When it comes to next steps, Silva said MEUSA would
"look at the landscape and see what states might be open to passing
marriage equality legislation, and I think we're going to also hold out hope
the Supreme Court will find for fairness and equality when reviewing the
marriage equality cases that are before it."

He's opposed to going back to the ballot in California,
though.

"The rights of LGBT Americans should never be put to
the popular vote of a majority," Silva said. However, he said his
organization "would definitely be involved" in the state if it comes
to that.

Steven Goldstein, chair of New Jersey's Garden State
Equality, said in a recent statement that his group also opposes putting
marriage equality measures on the ballot.

"The majority should never vote on the civil rights of
a minority, period," Goldstein said.

The New Jersey Legislature passed a marriage equality bill
earlier this year, but Republican Governor Chris Christie vetoed it. Goldstein
said his group has been questioned about putting same-sex marriage before
voters.

He said while the four states' victories, the election of
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) as the first out LGBT member of the U.S. Senate,
and other wins are cause for celebration, it wouldn't make sense to try to get
a referendum before New Jersey voters.

"Unlike other states that have seen referenda on
marriage equality over the years, New Jersey does not have an initiative-and-referendum
mechanism," he said. "It's like speculating on whether Bruce
Springsteen would perform at a Republican convention in a duet with Clint
Eastwood."

Another concern is money.

"A referendum is also a contest of which side can raise
more millions," Goldstein said.

Whatever happens, Kendell said people should savor the
victories.

Not only did marriage equality win in four states, Kendell
also noted the re-election of President Barack Obama. She encourages people to
"sit back and take a deep breath and understand what a privilege it is to
be alive" during recent events.

"This will be marked as the moment when we had a huge,
completely unexpected, and cataclysmic shift in the place of LGBT people in
this culture," Kendell said.

Marriages could boost economies, institute says

Paying for campaigns isn't the only way money is related to
same-sex marriage. The Williams Institute, a nationally respected public policy
research organization at the UCLA School of Law, recently released estimates
that the wins in Maine, Maryland, and Washington would generate over $166
million in wedding spending in the first three years.

"This additional spending will be good for business,
boost state and local tax revenues, and create new jobs," said Lee
Badgett, Williams Institute research director, said in a statement Monday,
November 12 announcing the data.

Same-sex marriages will begin December 8 in Washington State
and in January in Maine and Maryland.

Officials in Baltimore are hoping to get some of those
millions in their city.

"We encourage the LGBT community to visit Baltimore to
celebrate their commitments to one another," Visit Baltimore CEO Tom
Noonan said in a statement. "As a city, we have long been proud to support
the rights and equality of our visitors, and the legalization of same-sex
marriage is another important step forward."

In Washington state, the Edgewater Hotel is introducing
Plunge with Pride for same-sex couples. The package offers couples the choice
of a "spectacular" room for the ceremony, professional photography,
and overnight accommodations. Prices start at $3,869. More information is
available at http://www.edgewaterhotel.com.

The Williams Institute based its estimates on 2010 census
data, average wedding expenditures in the states, and state tourism reports.
The figures assume that 50 percent of same-sex couples in each state will marry
in the first three years. The estimates don't account for resident same-sex
couples who are already married in each state or registered as domestic
partners. The data also don't include out-of-state same-sex couples that decide
to travel to these states to marry.

Wedding Bell Blues is an online column looking at various
issues related to the marriage equality fight in California and elsewhere.
Please send column ideas or tips to Seth Hemmelgarn at or call (415) 861-5019.
Wedding Bell Blues appears every other Tuesday.